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First iPad reviews are in!

TiPb has done the full iPad review, of course, but while we're iPhone, iPod touch, and now iPad-centric, there are a lot of more general technology columnists and gadget bloggers out there who've gone touch-to-screen with Apple latest mobile device, and different perspectives are decidedly a good thing. So here's a roundup of what they think:

Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal says it's "pretty close" to a laptop killer. He also got 11:28 of battery time on it!

After spending hours and hours with it, I believe this beautiful new touch-screen device from Apple has the potential to change portable computing profoundly, and to challenge the primacy of the laptop. It could even help, eventually, to propel the finger-driven, multitouch user interface ahead of the mouse-driven interface that has prevailed for decades.

David Pogue of the New York Times actually writes two reviews, one for the more tech-centric critics and one for the more positively inclined mainstream.

The techie review is decidedly negative:

The bottom line is that you can get a laptop for much less money — with a full keyboard, DVD drive, U.S.B. jacks, camera-card slot, camera, the works. Besides: If you’ve already got a laptop and a smartphone, who’s going to carry around a third machine?

The mainstream review is more positive:

The iPad is so fast and light, the multitouch screen so bright and responsive, the software so easy to navigate, that it really does qualify as a new category of gadget. Some have suggested that it might make a good goof-proof computer for technophobes, the aged and the young; they’re absolutely right.

The iPad is not so much about what you can do — browse, do e-mail, play games, read e-books and more — but how you can do it. That's where Apple is rewriting the rulebook for mainstream computing. There is no mouse or physical keyboard. Everything is based on touch. All programs arrive directly through Apple's App Store. Apple's tablet is fun, simple, stunning to look at and blazingly fast.

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Apple refunds expedited shipping charge for iPad pre-orders

If you pre-ordered your iPad for April 3 and ponied up the extra money for expedited shipping, 9to5Mac reports that Apple is giving you a refund. Since all iPad Wi-Fi deliveries will occur on the same day, the more expensive shipping option made no sense. Nice to see Apple making right one that, isn't it?

OtterBox Defender for iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS [Project Pink!]

Here is the OtterBox Defender in pink [$42.95 - iMore Store link], also offered in black, white, and yellow [iMore Store Link] a case said to be strong enough for a man but made in pink for a woman.

As a special bonus, we asked you, our readers, if you wanted to see Rene use this case for a day along with photographic proof, and you responded with a strong, hell heck ya! Though, getting Project Pink to happen was more difficult that originally planned...

Apple holding iPad pre-orders, reassuring iPad reservations

Apple has shipped iPad pre-orders and regardless of whether you chose expedited or regular old delivery, it should get to your door on Saturday, April 3 (if your area offers weekend deliveries). To make sure it doesn't get there any earlier, Apple is using every trick in their playbook so don't be nervous if you see "holds" or "exceptions" on your delivery status. They don't want any "accidental" pre-releases hitting the streets (and webs).

First, they've very publicly acknowledged problems in cities like New York and San Francisco and invested in infrastructure to get them up to speed (and to stop the drop). In total, $2 billion will be spent building out the network.

However, dealing with the sheer volume of iPhone users on AT&T is an unparalleled problem, they maintain (and one many suspect would have plagued any single carrier).

iVerse Bringing Comic Books to iPad

iVerse already has an iPhone app that lets you get and read digital comics on the go but, like many of us, when they saw Steve Jobs holding up that shiny new 9.7" multitouch screen, they wanted their comics on the iPad.

Not content with simply upscaling their existing app, however, they built a new one from scratch:

“We really wanted to create a traditional comic book reading experience on this device.” said Mr. Murphey. “You know, just because we can do all kinds of crazy things with the technology doesn’t necessarily mean we should.”

They've also answered some long-standing reader demands, including zoom and preview images. Content comes from Marvel, Ape Entertainment, Archaia, BOOM! Studios, IDW Publishing, titles from Image Comics creators, but no sign of DC yet (for shame!), and we're not clear how much is available from which publisher yet either (for shame industry!).

The best news?

Long time users of iVerse Comics will have the ability to download new, high resolution, iPad files of their previously in-app-purchased comics for no additional cost. By the hoary hosts indeed!

Canadian iPad Launching April 24, International and 3G Version Too?

iPadinCanada.ca claims they've heard from a source with "close ties to the Apple Store" that the weekend of April 24 has been marked as a "black out" period, which means no vacations, which means they think iPad launch day in the Great White North.

iPhone Apps: New Games and Notable Updates

While everyone in the US waits for the iPad Wi-Fi to ship this Saturday and bring iPad apps along with it, let's not forget the iPhone and its App Store already 170,000 strong. Here are some new games and notable updates to keep us all busy while we wait!

Apple Store Employees Kept in Dark Regarding New Products

It's not surprise that Apple likes to keep things top secret when it comes to their new products not only from all of us but also from their very own employees as Reuters has just found out by interviewing current and past Apple Store employees.

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blockquote>"We haven't seen it; we never do" before a product is launched, said one employee, who asked not to be identified because workers are barred from speaking with the media. "Every store employee I know, including the managers, they haven't seen it."

App Store, meet Facebook

You can now browse the App Store directly from within Facebook via Apple's newest Facebook application. There are a few tabs to chose from; the proverbial Wall and Info, but then it starts to get interesting.

You have a Featured tab that shows you the week's spotlighted applications. A Games tab lets you filter by any game genre. Search and Share, of course, lets you search for any app. Once you find the application you are looking for, you can launch into iTunes Preview and straight into the iTunes Store to get it (and post it to your profile, of course).

The latter is what I am excited about because now I can share my recent app favorites with them.

Virtue as partnered with Apple to create this page hot on the heels of their other Facebook page for iTunes. Check for some more screenshots after the break!